


Live Tinder

by delicatelyglitterywriter



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Senseless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 07:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15505794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicatelyglitterywriter/pseuds/delicatelyglitterywriter
Summary: Jemma Simmons works for Lance Hunter on the Late Late Show. She’s seen Late Late Live Tinder played with others, and she’s thoroughly enjoyed it. But what happens when it’s her turn?





	Live Tinder

Jemma hauls herself up off the couch to take her now-empty mug to the sink. She regrets sitting down to drink her tea, for the sole reason that it’s so difficult to get back up. Still, she manages and washes the mug as her boss, Lance Hunter announces the next game. She’s only half paying attention, but looks up when her coworker, Fitz, lets out a loud groan.

“‘S bloody Live Tinder again,” he complains, flopping down into the spot where Jemma had been jsut seconds before.

“Come now,” Jemma chastises, putting her mug to the side to dry. “It’s not  _ that _ bad, is it?”

Fitz makes a gagging noise and Jemma rolls her eyes. He can be so childish about this sort of thing. She’s about to open the argument in the game’s favour, as she always does, when she notices the camera entering the room. So, instead, she simply sighs.

“You’re incorrigible, Fitz.”

Before Fitz can answer, she hears Hunter’s voice, coming through to the room.

“...just hanging out in the green room, during the show, don’t you, Jemma?”

A murmur of amusement ripples through the room and Jemma curses as she finds the camera on her. Her eyes dart to Fitz, who has the audacity to  _ smirk _ at her.

“Karma is, as they say, a bitch.”

“Oh come off it,” she scolds. “Karma has nothing to do with this.”

Fitz just laughs. 

“Ah, so you  _ do _ like Late Late Live Tinder,” Hunter teases above a cheer from the audience. Jemma can’t help but smile a bit and glance at the ground. She shrugs.

“It’s a cute game.”

“Well lucky you, you’re going to be our next contestant tonight. You up for it?”

She can back out if she wants. She doesn’t have to do this. She doesn’t have to want to. She  _ shouldn’t _ want to do it. And yet, she still wants to. She finds herself caving and accepting the invitation to play.

“Alright, come on down to the stage.”

Jemma does so, and she’s greeted by her grinning boss and another cheer from the audience. Hunter hands her a microphone as he welcomes her. She doesn’t quite hear what he says next almost too overwhelmed by everything. But by the time Hunter says something she needs to pay attention to, she’s managed to get enough control over her emotions to listen.

“So, Jemma, you are single, correct?”

“Yes.” She nods.

“Why is that? You just picky?”

A million reasons as to why she’s single tumble through her head, but she can’t find the words to articulate any of them, so she nods weakly.

“Yeah.”  _ We’ll go with that _ .

“Well, that changes tonight,” Hunter declares, drawing another cheer from the audience. “A few of your closest friends have secretly pre-selected a bunch of people based on your type, so we can play a game of Late Late Live Tinder. Are you ready?”

Jemma’s eyes scan the crowd, and she sees her brother, Harrison, with her two best friends from childhood sitting up the back. They catch her eye and grin at her. She refrains from rolling her eyes. She briefly wonders if they had contacted Hunter actually  _ asking _ him to get her to play. She’ll have to ask about that later.

For now, it’s time to play. 

She smiles and shrugs. “Yes.”

“Great!” Hunter hands her the giant foam finger, turning her to face the giant phone positioned on a mini-stage. “Here’s how the game works: the people will come out one at a time. You will use your big foam finger and swipe right if you like the person, left if you don’t. People who get a right swipe will take a seat on one these chairs, and whoever gets a left swipe will be forced to fall into this ball pit.”

Jemma looks over at the ball pit on the left side of the stage. She wonders how many guys she’s going to send into the pit. At this thought, she halts momentarily, even though Hunter continues on and begins the game. Why had Hunter continuously said  _ people _ rather than  _ guys _ ? He always said guys and-

Jemma’s cut off as the first one steps up. He’s a white guy (very typical, Jemma thinks), with brown hair, some stubble and admittedly a rather nice smile. He’s a rather average height for his build. He’s wearing a plain black shirt with a brown leather jacket, and he’s standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Jemma tilts her head reading his nametag.

_ Grant, 30 _

“Well, he’s not bad,” Hunter commentates. “He clearly works out.”

Jemma can’t help but laugh. “Clearly.”

“Dashing smile, good bone structure, I must say. What’s going through your head, Jemma?”

“I mean, he’s not bad-looking,” Jemma muses, looking him over again. There’s just something not quite right about him, but she can’t put her finger on it. “But he’s not the cutest guy I’ve ever seen.”

With that, she raises her foam finger and mercilessly swipes left. There’s a noise from the crowd that’s a mix between a gasp, a laugh, and a boo. Jemma watches as Grant very dramatically flops backwards into the ball pit, staying there for a second before pulling himself up and out.

“Alright, next victi-I mean, contestant,” Hunter jokes. Jemma rolls her eyes again as the next person steps out. 

Her eyebrows raise in interest as a Black man steps up. He’s about the same height as Grant, and almost the same build, only...milder for a lack of a better term. His face is nice, Jemma thinks as Hunter speaks.

“Mike, twenty-seven...well, I know how I feel.” There’s a loud laugh from the audience, and Jemma laughs along. “What do you think, Jemma?”

_ Very well-formed and symmetrical _ , she thinks, admiring him. But she dares not say it out loud; no point in making a fool of herself. Instead, she simply smiles and swipes right, drawing a cheer from the crowd and a smile from Mike.

“Oh! Jemma! Nice choice, nice choice! Alright, Mike, take a seat, let’s bring out the next one.”

Jemma’s caught by surprise as a woman steps up, offering a...flirtatious wave? She looks over to Hunter questionly. This is a first: having a female contestant in this game. Hunter covers his mic and leans in as the audience have a mixed reaction.

“Figured it was about time,” Hunter explains. Jemma smiles. She’d come out to Hunter a few months ago, which had gone well, and this...well, it just feels nice that he remembers. Hunter winks and uncovers his mic, beginning his commentary.

“Raina, twenty-five. Tiny, adorable, just like you. Match made in heaven, if you ask me. What do you think?”

Jemma laughs, considering Raina. She is nice to look at, but the wave from earlier was a bit off-putting. She seems just a little too forward for Jemma’s taste. She gives Raina an apologetic look and raises her finger, swiping left.

“Jemma, no!” Hunter cries as Raina falls into the pit. “Why?”

“A bit too young,” Jemma says, picking out the first excuse that comes to mind. It’s not  _ technically _ a lie; twenty-five is a bit young for her. 

“Alright, fair,” Hunter allows. The next candidate steps up, and Jemma’s jaw drops. He’s Black, and a nice height, and his smile! Jemma’s made her decision before she even reads the nametag. 

_ Trip, twenty-eight _

Trip. That was the coolest name Jemma has ever heard. Before Hunter can even speak, she swipes right.

“Wow!” Hunter drawls, raising his eyebrows at how quick she is. “That was fast!”

Jemma shrugs innocently. “What can I say? I know what I like.”

The audience laughs and claps, Hunter joining in with them for a second, before talking again.

“Now, you only have one seat left, but don’t worry if you select your final person before we’re through; you can always swap out one candidate for another.”

Jemma nods as the next one comes up. 

_ Lincoln, 32 _

He’s got blond hair, blue eyes, and a kind smile. Jemma quite likes him, although he is a bit old for her liking. Still, she doesn’t want to count him out, so she swipes right. The man following him is named Davis. He’s quite similar in appearance to the first guy, Ward, except his hair is lighter, and he has a scar across his cheek. She considers whether or not to switch him in, but ultimately decides against it. He falls face-first into the ballpit. 

“Okay, one more contestant,” Hunter says. “Let’s bring them out.”

Jemma’s eyes widen and she draws in a short breath as the final participant emerges. She’s beautiful. She’s Asian, with beautiful dark brown hair not quite touching her shoulders. She’s wearing a dark blue top, that she still somehow manages to make look elegant. Her smile is charming and slightly cheeky, an expression matched with her eyes.

“There was an audible ‘dayum’ from the back,” Hunter laughs. “A bold choice with the blue, but it works.”

“Yeah,” Jemma murmurs in agreement, tuning out Hunter as she looks at the woman in front of her. Her eyes drop to the nametag.

_ Daisy, 28 _

Daisy. That’s a lovely name. It suits her so well. Jemma catches herself smiling as Hunter brings her back into reality.

“So, are we gonna swipe left or right?”

“I’m going to swipe right,” Jemma decides, making the motion. Another cheer comes from the audience.

“Okay, okay, who are you going to swap out? Mike, Trip, or Lincoln?”

Jemma thinks for a minute. “I think I’m going to have to choose Lincoln, sorry.”

There’s a roar from the audience and Lincoln and Daisy switch places, and Lincoln falls into the pit sideways. Jemma’s eyes are fixed on Daisy’s, and she has a hard time peeling them away and looking at the guys, but she does anyway.

“Alright, so congratulations to our final three. Now, I want you all to say hi to Jemma and tell her where you’re from, okay? Mike, we’ll start with you.”

“Hey, Jemma. I’m Mike, and I’m originally from Washington D.C.”

Trip goes next. “Hey, girl, name’s Trip. I’ve been here in LA all my life.”

Jemma smiles. He’s bright and bubbly, and she likes that. 

“Hi. I’m Daisy, and I was born in China, but I moved to Chicago when I was like, four, and grew up there. Lived in LA for...three years now?”

Jemma’s breath hitches at Daisy’s voice. She’s completely captivated by both Trip and Daisy, and her heart sinks when she realises she has to eventually make a decision between the two of them. Damn her brother and her friends for picking both of them out.

“Alright, now, Jemma, you can ask one question of our three contestants. One question, three answers.”

Jemma forces herself not to look at Daisy and Trip so she can think of a good question to ask. What would she like to know? What is something she can make a decision based off of? She thinks and perks up quite suddenly as she comes up with a question.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”

There’s an ‘oooohhhh’ from the audience behind her, and all three contestants look impressed. Mike goes first.

“I hurt some people to protect my son,” he admits, and Jemma’s taken aback. She hadn’t really expected such an honest answer, but she appreciates it. She admires honesty. 

“Got in trouble for laughing too loudly in school,” Trip laughs, flashing another award-winning smile at her. Jemma chuckles at that. He’s enthusiastic and fun, also a trait she admires.

Daisy doesn’t answer immediately, instead considering her, Hunter, and the audience. Then, she smirks and speaks.

“How about I show you?”

She accentuates her statement with a wink, and the audience erupts in cheering, whooping and clapping. Jemma has to fight a blush, and Hunter laughs, unable to bring himself to scold Daisy. Trip looks amused and Mike looks mildly appalled. Daisy’s just grinning.

After the noise dies down, Hunter speaks again.

“Well, now that you’ve met them, who are you going to choose?”

“I don’t know,” Jemma sighs. “I like how honest Mike is, but Trip seems like so much fun, and Daisy...I like Daisy.”

She says the last part quickly, clearing her throat. Hunter laughs again.

“If only we could clone you all into one person, then you’d be perfect,” he jokes. “So, who are you going to choose? Honesty Guy, Fun Guy, or Daisy?”

Jemma looks at them all again. Mike’s on one side of the spectrum, and Trip on the other. Daisy, however, seems to fall right in the middle. What if she turns out to be honest  _ and _ fun? Jemma takes a deep breath and makes her decision.

“Daisy.”

There’s applause from the audience and Daisy smiles and comes down to meet Jemma. Hunter goes on about the ‘romantic conference room’ and everything, but Jemma’s not listening. She’s too busy hugging Daisy and getting swept away in a wave of euphoria.

She takes Daisy’s hand and leads her towards the room Hunter has set up for them, and can hardly keep from smiling. When they’re seated and set up with food and drink, Jemma convinces herself to say something to Daisy.

“What did you mean by that thing ‘how about I show you’?” she asks, though she has a pretty good idea of what Daisy meant. She just wants to check, although immediately regrets asking. It sounds weird. She watches as Daisy’s smile morphs into a sly smirk and she leans forward.

“Sorry, Jemma, a magician never reveals her secrets.”

Daisy winks and Jemma catches herself swallowing, hard. In this moment, Jemma realises that she is totally and utterly screwed. She has it for Daisy, and she has it bad.

**Author's Note:**

> this started out as a masterpiece and quickly descended into this


End file.
